art jam - Nanyang Technological University

M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2010
Text: Samantha Soon
Photos: AsiaMuse
Katncandix2
This year, the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2010 brings us Taiwanese folk pop duo, Katncandix2, for a twoday
show as a highlight of the festival.
The night began with a thought-provoking question, ‘What do you think dreams are?’ making the audience reflect
on their own ideals and lives. Their album title which is also the title of a song, “Little Flight”, was an apt beginning
to the concert as their music brought us into their very own ‘B612’, the theme of the concert.
Katncandix2’s music bears no resemblance to the sweet and airy cotton candy (a direct translation of the group’s
Chinese name). Together with SSJ, the band’s guitarist and lead vocalist, Ball, the duo brought us a night of
acoustic and original music with their eleven-song set. Ball’s natural vocals gave a fresh touch to SSJ’s melodies.
The charm of Katncandix2 thus lies in its ability to draw near to their audience, not only through the music they
make, but also through their stands on the masses’ ideals and principles.
As opposed to mainstream Taiwanese pop, Katncandix2’s music maintains a positive spirit, even when it sings of
heavy issues such as world peace and environmental protection, or even the usual theme of love. The double love
song in the set, ‘Girl’ and ‘Please love him for me’, sings of facing heartbreaks with an optimistic outlook, and not
to give up on love even when it fails.
What was unique about the duo, was that while SSJ, the main composer of Katncandix2’s melodies was quiet and
shy, lead singer Ball loved to engage with their audience in between songs, and she would talk about anything;
from stories behind songs, to the journey of their music career: how they started out as street performers to where
they are today, signed under a major record company under the support of Taipei’s Cultural Affairs. Katncandix2
is a testimony to the songs of encouragement they sing, ‘We are the same’, ‘Blossoms everywhere’ and ‘Lacking
of courage’, where they urge their audience to take an active step towards fulfilling
dreams they believe in.
The night ended with their original ‘Future?’ with visuals of environmental
damage, where they repeatedly sang ‘Do you see? This is not the future we
want’, advocating people to play a part in protecting our Earth. The concert
was brought to a perfect end by their debut single ‘2375’, imploring the
audience to never forget their earliest dreams and ideals.
review
A fresh take on Taiwanese pop
13 art jam